Tag Archives: Scandinavia

Recipe: Swedish ‘Sockerkaka’ Sponge Cake

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Sockerkaka

I realise this is a bit of a departure from my previous healthy living post but I just downloaded last week’s photos from my camera and wanted to share this recipe with you. Sockerkaka (meaning: Sugar cake) is incredibly popular in Sweden and it is the perfect cake to whip up when you have unexpected company as it’s so simple to make and pretty much all the ingredients are cupboard staples. I made this last week when my friend and her daughter came over, it took me no more than ten minutes to mix up the batter once the kids had gone to school and then I could get on with my work while it was baking in the oven. You could add other flavours such as cocoa powder or lemon juice and zest but this is the original (and in my opinion the best) recipe:

3 eggs
180 g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
50 g butter
100 ml milk
220 g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees. Whisk together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla essence until white and fluffy. Melt the butter and stir in the milk, then add that to the mixture. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl and carefully fold into the batter. Pour into a prepared ring cake tin and bake in the middle of the oven for 25-30 minutes.

A Whiter Shade of Pale

Posted in Interior by

Some of you may already be aware of my obsession with white interiors – in theory at least, the reality is probably not so practical with small children and their sticky fingers! I love this stylish apartment with its bright and airy feel and little touches of pink – another of my favourite colours. The Liv lamp by Jonas Bohlin which hangs in the bedroom is a piece that I’ve been coveting for ages but at £500 I don’t think it will be moving in here anytime soon! Not to mention the Eames chairs, Smeg fridge and Asplund sideboard – a girl can but dream…

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All pictures from Hemnet.se

Linked In

Posted in Linked In by

Links I love

Everyday I’m stumblin’…Here are few links that I’m loving at the moment:

1. The older I get the less bothered I am about keeping up with the latest fashion trends so I was relieved to read that not falling victim to fly-by-night trends is one of the seven habits of highly stylish people! Find out what the other six are at StyleCaster

2. 16 Signs You’re A Little (Or A Lot) Type A. I’m not entirely proud that I read this article with a pang pf recognition. Just about all of those points apply to me, especially the sleeping (or lack of it) and worrying too much about things that may never happen

3. We’re in the process of upgrading our eldest son’s room to make it more suitable for a pre-teen. Out go the pirate cushions and in come these cool headphone bookends.

4. My default hairstyle when I’m not wearing it down is a messy bun or a simple braid but this week I’ve been trying out this cute dutch braid. Find a step-by-step tutorial here

5. How To Make Your Child Feel Special With Just 3 Magic Words .This article is a must-read for any parent out there. I’m a strong believer that you should not need to raise your voice in your own home but sometimes that’s easier said than done and life coach Lisa Parkes shows parents how to transform screaming to peaceful.

6. Great art doesn’t have to break the bank. We recently renovated our downstairs cloakroom and while I love the monochrome colour scheme the walls were looking a bit bare so I’ve ordered this limited edition print by Dutch fashion illustrator Judith van den Hoek from Swedish website Arte Limited.

This Week’s Favourites

Posted in Family Life by

I just sat down to write my weekly round up post and realised I only had four pictures (and none of them of actual people!) from this past week! I guess now that I’m working four days a week and not out and about so much, there aren’t so many photo opportunities (let’s face it, pictures of me hunched over the laptop with a cup of coffee are not that interesting).  It doesn’t help that it’s January – the month which is renowned for being devoid of social engagements – so hopefully things will pick up in the next few weeks. My mood has finally lifted over the weekend and I feel much more positive going into the new week – going for a run yesterday morning really helped so I’m planning to fit in a couple of sessions at the gym this coming week to try and hold on to those happy endorphins!

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I found this book in my bedside cabinet – I can’t remember where I got it but it made for entertaining reading on a train journey into London for a meeting this week. The book was first published in 2006 so some anecdotes were a bit out of date but it gave some interesting insights into the fashion industry.

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It finally stopped raining and the weather got cold (and sunny) enough for me to wear the Ugg boots I got for Christmas. I love Uggs – so warm and comfortable!

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Friday night TV dinner – spaghetti carbonara with a side salad and a nice glass of red – in front of Breaking Bad, of course. We’re now on the last series – what will we do when it’s all over? I’m hoping the second season of House of Cards is out soon…

I had planned to go to the movies with a friend last night to see American Hustle but we left it too late and when we tried to book online all three cinemas near us were sold out. We will have to try next weekend instead.

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A trip to Ikea was on the agenda today, to buy a new shelving unit for my eldest son’s room, storage boxes and all the other usual bits and pieces that magically seem to jump into our trolley every time we visit the Swedish superstore. I was fairly restrained today it has to be said as we’re still feeling the pinch from the Christmas blowout…

It’s almost 8pm so time to round up the kids (who are still downstairs riding the wave of that second wind of energy they seem to get as soon as bedtime approaches) and try to get them into bed. I’m determined that our mornings this week will be a lot more pleasant than they were last week…

Happy Sunday to you all! X

 

Interior Inspiration: House Doctor Spring 2014

Posted in Interior by

The house is looking quite bare now that the Christmas decorations have been taken down and packed away for another 11 months. So what better time to give your home a little facelift as we move (slowly but surely) into spring? The new catalogue from Danish brand House Doctor, aptly named Everyday, features a beautiful collection of furniture, lighting and decorative objects. Some new lampshades and cushion covers along with a bit of greenery in the form of potted plants and fresh flowers would spruce up my home no end.

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Add a Scandinavian Touch to your Home

Posted in Interior by

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As some of you may have gathered by now, I am a big fan of Scandinavian design, both for the wardrobe and the home. So you can imagine my excitement this week when I discovered a new interior website stocking beautiful vintage pieces as well as some of my favourite Scandi brands, including House Doctor, Tine K and Ferm Living. Design Vintage has a store in Brighton as well as an online shop selling all manner of wonderful things to spruce up your abode.

Here are some of my favourites:

1. Industrial desk lamp by House Doctor DK, £150

2. Pink Bambi bedding for a cot or cot bed from Scandinavian designers By Nord, £44

3. Set of three large storage boxes by Tine K Home, £35

4. Zinc wire mailbox by House Doctor, £14.95

5. Dragonfly porcelain votives from Bloomingville, in three different designs, £8.95 each

6. Dark grey and white tie-dye cushion by House Doctor, £35

Wrap it up

Posted in Fashion by

Scarf2Collage

Scarves in all different colours and patterns are an essential part of my autumn/winter wardrobe. Not only do they keep me warm but they also instantly update my “boring” uniform of skinny jeans and baggy jumper. I already have a rather large collection of scarves tucked away in my wardrobe but on my Christmas list this year is a warm, tartan scarf to snuggle up in when the really cold weather hits (typically in January/February). A classic Burberry scarf in the softest cashmere would really hit the spot but I have a feeling that Father Christmas will be on a budget this year, so a nice one from Zara or Topshop would do just nicely.

{In the picture above, clockwise from top left, is just a small selection of my current favourites: Grey and white star scarf from Danish brand Becksondergaard; Pink with stars from another Danish label Kudibal; Black & white leopard print from Swedish brand Ester Elenora; Flowery tube scarf from H&M; Another favourite from Ester Elenora; My favourite winter wrap-around in grey and white, also by Ester Elenora; Classic Alexander McQueen skull scarf; The perfect summer scarf in the softest pink with tiny white hearts from Becksondergaard.}

Recipe: Saffron and White Chocolate Cake

Posted in Food & Recipes by

Saffron cake

Christmas for me is all about traditions – carrying on old ones from my childhood as well as creating new ones just for our family. Despite having lived in the UK since the age of ten, when I was growing up we always celebrated a traditional Swedish Christmas (with a few English twists). Much of the festive season revolves around food and in Sweden saffron is synonymous with Christmas. For St Lucia Day (read more about it here), which falls on December 13, it is customary to serve bright yellow saffron buns studded with raisins. While the buns are rather time consuming to make as the dough needs to rise (but they are oh, so worth it, I will share the recipe when I do make them), this cake takes hardly any time at all. My eldest son has inherited my love for saffron so I made it for his birthday earlier this month and I’ll make another one for the first of advent to serve along with Glögg (similar to mulled wine) and gingerbread biscuits.

Ingredients:

100g unsalted butter
100g white chocolate
0.5g saffron (if you’re near a Scandinavian food store you can usually buy the saffron powder in tiny (but expensive) bags)
2 eggs
160g sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
130g plain flour

Preparation Method:

Melt the butter together with the white chocolate in a saucepan over a low heat. Add the saffron and put to one side.Whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla essence until white and fluffy. Add the chocolate and butter mixture and stir until combined. Sift in the flour and carefully fold it in. Pour the butter into a prepared spring form cake tin. Bake in an oven preheated to 200 degrees for 15-20 minutes depending on the desire texture (I like the cake to be slightly gooey in the middle). Allow it to cool before serving.

50 Shades of White

Posted in Interior by

Maybe it’s because I’m Swedish, but I have a real soft spot for the Scandinavian design aesthetic when it comes to interiors. Pale wooden floorboards, white walls and furniture mixed with grey and other neutrals and perhaps a few accents of stronger colours such as red or blue. Mixing old and modern pieces also makes for a unique home and I love the contrast it creates.

Here are some inspirational images from my Pinterest board ‘My Dream Abode’:

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{I love the positioning of the sofas in this room. Having them facing each other adds a cosy vibe which is offset by the grandeur of the stunning chandelier.}

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{White doesn’t have to mean stark. Layering different shades of whites and other neutrals creates a warm, inviting space.}

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{I love the tiles in this kitchen and the open shelves.}

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{This bedroom looks so calm and inviting.}

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{Using books as bedside tables is a great feature that doubles up as storage if you don’t have enough space for another bookcase. I also love the picture shelf above the bed.}

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{A practical and beautiful centerpiece filled with lovely cashmere. This picture makes me want to paint our floorboards white.}

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{The tiles, the lights, the bathtub – I love it all.}

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{If my boys shared a bedroom, this is the bunkbed I would get.}

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{This room is all about the details: the bunting, the Maileg bunnies with their own little matching bed, the practical blackboard…}

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{I wish our ceilings were high enough to carry off a chandelier on this scale. Oh and that my husband wasn’t allergic to cats!}

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{This room really makes the most of the natural light and I love the white letters on the wall.}

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{Another view of room number 9 which shows how effective a pop of colour can be in an otherwise all-white space. Mixing new and old furniture, such as this cupboard, in the same colour creates an original but cohesive look.}

Let there be light

Posted in Interior by

Lanterns Collage

When we get back from our holiday it will only be a matter of weeks before autumn is upon us. Hopefully there are still plenty of warm days ahead but as the evenings get darker, these lanterns from Nordic House will add a soft, romantic glow inside or outside.

In the picture: Big stainless steel lanterns from £135; Nautical hurricane lamps from £26.95; Numbered glass hurricanes from £19.95,; White willow hurricane £29.95.